Would you....should you....convert a MK1 to an A1 Sniper?

[Bigbuckeye]

Guys,

I have wanted an A1 USMC Sniper clone for some time now. I have what I think would be a good doner rifle, it is a 1920 1903 mk1 with original barrel, but everything else is mixmaster. It gauges a 2 at the muzzle.

Should I proceed with trying to make this a sniper? What all is involved? I would be using the creedmore 8x copy as my scope.

Finally, is there someone you would recommend to do the work?

Thanks,

[Jim in Salt Lake]

Has your receiver already been drilled for scope or sight mounts? If not, when the drill hits metal, you can be turning $600-700 dollar rifle into a $300 rifle. I'm not saying don't do that, just realize what the consequences could be. If you're building it with the intention of entering CMP Vintage Rifle matches, you should pay attention to their rules for scopes and rilfes >> http://www.thecmp.org/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf An example, the rules require a C stock (pistol grip), so you may have to find one if you have a straight stock.

How does your rifle shoot with match bullets now? Is your barrel in good shape? If it is, that'll save a few hundred dollars. New barrels are available from the CMP. Finally, I'd recommend searching this forum for threads concerning the scope you're looking at. One of the things that Creedmoor is doing now on those Leatherwood USMC scopes is cleaning up all the threads and replacing the Chinese screws with US made. They charge a little extra for that but it'll need to be done.

Chuckindenver, member here, mounted my scope blocks and sold me a bolt modified to clear the scope. It was painless and timely.

[Bigbuckeye]

No, the receiver has not been drilled. Good point about the value. This is not meant for competition, only for the collection